Our online, cloud-based platform makes it easy and fun for you to participate.

Through UChicagoConnect, participants engage in free, 10-minute, text-based online chats with an experienced professional. LinkedIn profile reviewers will review your profile in real time and offer you one-on-one feedback.

Lines for the coaches will form. While you wait, stop into the Peer-to-Peer networking booth to network with other UChicago Alumna/us. You could ask a peer to review your profile, share job search tips or create a new contact.

The chats are text-based and timed, allowing you to quickly meet new people, exchange contact information, and walk away with several new connections you didn't have before. Each chat is saved, making it simple to look back at your history, review your notes, gather contact information and follow up.

Grab your computer, tablet, or smartphone and join us!

What attendees enjoy about the platform:

The event was extremely helpful- I went into the peer-to-peer chatroom and had some great conversations. I hope that there are more virtual events like this- it was really helpful in my career search, and is easy to work into my existing schedule

About the Reviewers:

Keith R. Sbiral

Keith brings a career of management and efficiency work which makes him uniquely qualified to coach and consult in a variety of organizations. In addition to countless hours of professional development in his focus areas, he is a graduate of the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching.

Keith served as City Manager for a Chicago suburb. He holds the ICMA Credentialed Manager designation as well as being a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He has spent the majority of his career in management and specifically personnel management. Prior to going into management, Keith served as the Director of the Building and Planning Department and led the Finance, Recreation, and Information Technology Departments. Keith served as the Treasurer for the Village for eight years.

Keith’s professional activities include International Coach Federation of Chicago, International City/County Management Association, the American Institute of Certified Planners, and the American Planning Association (APA).

Keith earned his M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning with emphases in economic development and land use planning from the University of Iowa in May of 2001. Prior to enrolling at the University of Iowa, Keith worked on political campaigns in Iowa following his graduation from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa in 1997 with a major in political science and minor in economics.

Keith has a creative side, including his love for photography, which is matched with his passion for travel. In addition to assisting clients with career and leadership issues, he often works with those in creative fields or goals or blocks related to creative pursuits.

Amy M. Gardner, JD'02

Amy is a principal and career and career transitions coach with Apochromatik. She works with attorneys and other professionals to address career challenges such as career and leadership development, career transitions, time management, goal achievement, and executive presence. She helps her clients create a career and life they love rather than simply tolerate, whether that means advancing within their current position or shifting to a new role. She also offers group workshops and seminars (including for CLE) for law firms and other organizations on professionalism and leadership topics.

Her work draws on her unique experience working with law students as dean of students at the University of Chicago Law School and a successful career practicing law, first as a Skadden litigation associate and later as an associate and then partner at a mid-size Chicago firm. Amy received her B.A. from Luther College in English and political science, her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, and her M.A. in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University. She is a graduate of the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching.

Elatia Abate is an entrepreneur, coach, and thought leader on the future of work, career design, and building cultures of creativity and innovation. She works with organizations that range in size from Fortune 500 to early-stage start-ups and people in career transition. She is a sought-after speaker and lecturer, having recently delivered a TEDx titled, “Pioneering The Future of Work.” In a former life she served as Vice President of Human Resources at Dow Jones & Company, and Global Director Talent Acquisition at Anheuser-Busch InBev. Learn more at elatiaabate.com or by following @elaabate on Twitter and Instagram.

An expert in lateral and non-linear career growth, Courtney mobilized her early work experience in food service, retail, and data entry—and her dual degree in English and Visual Arts—to work her way up through a series of administrative positions, both corporate and nonprofit. As the Senior Writer & Research Development Director for the UChicago Humanities Division, she crafts compelling applications for faculty research funding. This same editorial perspective informs her work as an advice columnist and career coach, a side project that grew out of her sincere desire to help fellow humanists find their way into fulfilling jobs.

Chuck Brooks is the Principal Market Growth Strategist for General Dynamics Mission Systems for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies. He is also Adjunct Faculty at Georgetown University’s Applied Intelligence Program and graduate Cybersecurity Programs where he teaches courses on risk management, homeland security, and cybersecurity. LinkedIn named Chuck as one of “The Top 5 Tech People to Follow on LinkedIn” out of their 550 million members. He was named by Thompson Reuters as a “Top 50 Global Influencer in Risk, Compliance,” and by IFSEC as the “#2 Global Cybersecurity Influencer” in 2018. In both 2017 and 2016, he was named “Cybersecurity Marketer of the Year by the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards. He is also a Cybersecurity Expert for “The Network” at the Washington Post, Visiting Editor at Homeland Security Today, and a Contributor to FORBES.

You can connect with Chuck on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @ChuckDBrooks.

Adam Zajac

Adam Zajac is one of only 53 Nationally Certified Résumé Writers (or NCRWs) in the world and is an accomplished career services and brand development professional who has contributed his expertise in résumé and LinkedIn profile writing, career strategy, strategic communications and marketing to benefit job seekers, organizations and small businesses for the past 13 years. Interested in writing from a young age, Adam honed his abilities as an English major at the University of Utah, and has furthered his business and writing knowledge and credentialing at North Central College, as well as through local and national training programs.

Since 2005, Adam has worked for Vocamotive, Inc., a vocational rehabilitation and career services firm located in Hinsdale, Illinois. Adam began marketing his résumé writing and LinkedIn expertise to individuals outside of the vocational rehabilitation environment in 2012, and soon became a well-respected and in-demand expert sought by experienced professionals, managers and senior executives throughout the country. He now runs a standalone Résumé and Career Services division at Vocamotive, and oversees a staff of talented associate writers. His résumé services client base has also grown worldwide and he has worked with clients in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. In 2015, Adam also began to also work with solo-entrepreneurs and small businesses, and has created LinkedIn and related content for medical, legal, finance, marketing, insurance, defense contracting, and real estate firms.

As a respected thought leader, Adam has been widely published and quoted. His contributions can be found on LinkedIn Pulse, Thrive Global, The Naked Truth Magazine, BuzzFeed and in many other publications, as well as Vocamotive’s blog. Career educators at universities in the U.S. and Great Britain utilize Adam’s techniques, and Executive MBA programs at both the University of Illinois and Northern Illinois University refer clients to Adam to provide their students with a professional edge.

Adam is also a proud member of the National Résumé Writers’ Association and Rotary International, and can regularly be found providing guidance, support and volunteer services to organizations throughout the Chicagoland area.

Tyler L. Hough

Tyler has experience in project management, financial management, human resources, startup ventures, international business development, fundraising, and strategic planning. He worked in a number of capacities at the University of Chicago and Loyola University Chicago prior to launching the Jefferson Group, a global strategy consulting firm, in 2016. He leads the #ThatTalkOn professional development series at the University of Chicago's Graham School. He's studied at Loyola University Chicago and the University of Chicago, and is currently pursuing his master's degree in education policy, with a certificate in leadership, at Northwestern University.

Brittney Beck

Brittney Beck, NCRW, CCELWis a Senior Associate Résumé and LinkedIn Profile Writer at Vocamotive with a focus on career development strategy for her clients. She is one of less than 60 Nationally Certified Résumé Writers (NCRW’s) in the country and holds an additional certification in LinkedIn profile writing. She is a regular presenter at industry conferences, networking events, and at universities on the importance of building a personal and professional brand, particularly as it relates to résumés and LinkedIn profiles. She has an education in strategic communications, as well as considerable experience in writing, career development, and personal branding.

Lindais an experienced talent developer and career coach with more than 25 years of experience working with clients seeking to advance their personal and professional lives. Her practice includes career advisory and job search strategies for recent graduates as well as workforce re-entry for women and for seasoned professionals seeking promotion. With a hands-on and pragmatic approach she guides clients toward identifying and pursuing their best-fit career paths and in securing opportunities to make their aspirations a reality.

Linda has global experience working in career management and admissions with top-tier MBA programs such as Chicago Booth, Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and the London Business School. She was the inaugural staff director for the LEAD Program at Chicago Booth and more recently she served the school as a member of the Executive Education team.

Linda is active in workforce development, job readiness training and first-gen college programs in her community. Previously she worked in management consulting and in human resources in the health care sector. In addition to her MBA she is an alumna of the University of Chicago’s Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy (GPHAP) and holds a BS in Psychology from Grinnell College.

Jennifer Atala, AB'02

Jennifer Atala is a global business, strategy and partnerships professional with expertise in technology, financial inclusion, and private sector development in culturally and politically-diverse environments. She has led initiatives in eight countries with the US government, international institutions, SMBs and local organizations. With her consulting practice, she has led and advised clients on entrepreneurship ecosystem building with assessments, project design and partnership initiatives for the US and Swiss governments, international organizations and MNCs in Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territories.

From 2015-2017, Ms. Atala served as the Senior Technical Advisor on the U.S. Agency for International Development’s private sector competitiveness program in the Palestinian Territories – the Compete Project – where she led grant-investment and technical teams across seven industries. In this role, she accomplished the first pilot deal in the garment sector between companies based in Gaza and Tel Aviv since the 2007 political closure as part of then Secretary Kerry’s initiative, leading her team’s market research, due diligence, negotiations and relationship-building efforts. Prior, she was based in Washington, DC, where she led data analytics consulting projects for the US government and multi-lateral institutions, served as the liaison between USAID’s Civil-Military Office and Office of Transition Initiatives and on the US State Department’s Libya Task Force, and led investment process improvement initiatives within the Financial Institutions Group of the International Finance Corporation.

Ms. Atala is a Truman National Security Fellow, certified yoga teacher focused on trauma-affected communities, and graduate of both the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She regularly volunteers as a mentor and judge for startup acceleration programs and is on the Board of Directors for BuildPalestine, a social enterprise aimed at crowd-solving development challenges and mobilizing Palestinian Diaspora. Learn more at www.jenniferatala.com.

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